


Several Times Red Skull tried to Summon an Asgardian God

by madwriter223



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Blood, Fails are just piling on here, Gen, Graphic Description, Magic, Summoning Circles, seriously, warning for blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 16:07:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1232764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madwriter223/pseuds/madwriter223
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Red Skull decided he would do the unthinkable and gain command over the will of an ancient god. It's not going as well as he'd hoped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Several Times Red Skull tried to Summon an Asgardian God

Red Skull grinned in satisfaction as he finished the last symbol. Finally, after weeks of carefully, meticulously placing each single line onto the boulder (acquired from Stonehenge, of course). After hours of the grueling task of preparing the paint from a mixture of honey syckle, wolfsbane, snake venom and goat marrow. He even had to use natural grown mistletoe leaves instead of a paintbrush. But he prevailed and now he stood in front of the true and magnificent summoning circle from the ancient Nordic religious myths. It spread across the equally ancient stone like a grand spider web, each line perfectly thick, each rune evenly spaced, each symbol ideally placed.

It was utterly beautiful and beautifully complete. It was done. Now he could summon a god to do his bidding. And the Nordic mythology had so many warrior gods Red Skull could hardly wait. With the power of a god behind him, he couldn't lose. He would win this war and then the world with them at the lead of his troops, blindly obeying his every order.

He would be a god among them all.

 

 **Attempt One – Odin**  
His first choice was of course Odin. The King of Asgard, the Ruler of all the gods, the Great and Mighty Allfather, Borson the Spearbearer, the- you get the idea.

Red Skull carefully enunciated each word, skillfully avoiding stumbling in the ancient tongue. The circle glowed with power as the spell soaked into the lines, the air around him crackling with magic.

Red Skull grinned wider and wider. With one last phrase, the incantation was complete. He, Red Skull, had just summoned the King of the Norse gods – Odin Borson, the Allfather himself. This day would go down in history as the moment Red Skull acquired indescribable power and became the ruler of Earth, with his spelled-loyal slave at his side.

Except Odin hadn't exactly appeared yet. His ravens had. Though, if Red Skull remembered correctly, Odin was supposed to have two.

Red Skull looked slowly around his laboratory.

There were definitely more than two.

On the shelves, on the machines, on the Tesla coils, the glass tubes, on the chandeliers, on the windows and doors. Everywhere, on practically every single possible spot a raven could sit. A sea of back feathers, rustling ominously each time one of the birds moved as they settled down. But most of them were standing stock still, leaning towards him and staring. Their eyes were coal black, but glimmered like well-polished mirrors. As Red Skull looked around, he could see himself reflected in each and every single one of them, the image distorted and twisted in the beady eyes.

Suddenly, one of the birds moved and the rustle of its feathers was like a roar in the otherwise soundless room. Red Skull flinched, and took a startled step back. The ravens seemed to lean forward at that, still staring at him with their black marble-like eyes.

Red Skull swallowed thickly and quietly admitted to himself that perhaps Odin was too ambitious, especially for a first time summoning. It would be... more reasonable to start with a less powerful God.

One of the ravens clicked its beak, the sound sending cold shivers down Red Skull's back.

Yes, that's right. He nodded to himself, slowly backing out of the room. Better start smaller.

 

 **Attempt Two – Thor**  
Thor was an excellent choice. The Mighty son of the Mighty Odin, god of thunder and heir to the Golden Throne of legends. A warrior prince to an army of gods. Second only to the Allfather, ergo the logical second choice.

Red Skull finished the summoning incantation reverently and stood back. He waited patiently for the runes to release their magic (and kept a careful eye around him for ravens or any birds at all, actually). But it seemed to be going very well, he could already feel the power building in the air around him.

Just as the last of the glow dispersed from the runes, a crackle of electricity raced across the summoning circle. No, not electricity. Lightning. 

Red Skull grinned, and straightened. “Appear before me, Thor the Thunderer.” he commanded.

A lightning bolt struck the ground directly between his feet.

Red Skull jumped back, but that didn't help. The lightning jumped off the runic circle and moved to the surrounding machinery, sliding across the metal surfaces and overloading what it could. The smell of fizzling electronics filled the air, and the lightning split into two. The second bolt went straight for Red Skull, jumping all around him and zapping him each time he made a move.

By the time he managed to escape out of the main lab, the two bolts had practically destroyed all they could, and Red Skull could feel every single hair on his body standing on end (one area in particular was extremely uncomfortable).

 

 **Attempt Three – Balder**  
Alright. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but having the God of Light could be beneficial. According to myth Balder was beloved by all who gazed upon him. That could translate into amazingly good PR. It might even negate the need for an army – just have Balder walk up to the country leaders and they would fall over themselves to please him.

Yes. Yes, that could work.

Red Skull cast the summoning spell again, trying to keep his spirit and magical energy positive. This time he would be successful.

And it worked, Red Skull realized with shock. The summoning circle was glowing with a soft, beautiful light. It was white as snow, but it was warm. So warm. It spread around Red Skull like a comforting blanket, wrapping around him like a gentle caress.

He smiled in awe at the beauty of it.

Except. The light was getting brighter. It was still warm and beautiful, but it was getting almost too bright. Already Red Skull couldn't see any of his equipment, not even the outline of the machines as the light intensified. He closed his eyes, but the light only seeped through his eyelids, and it felt as if the brightness was literally stabbing at his eyeballs.

He grabbed at his aching face with both arms and ran out of the room. It took him three tries to locate the door, but finally he escaped into the cool darkness.

 

 **Attempt Four – Frigga**  
Fine. The male gods have proved themselves impossible to command. But a woman, even a godly one, should be relatively easy. Or at least eas _ier_ , it wouldn't do to underestimate the Norse gods again. But Queen Frigga the Golden sounded like an agreeable sort. Kind, beautiful, intelligent. She would surely bend to his magical whim, and she could prove herself most useful. As a hostage, Red Skull could demand the godly army as a ransom for her safety and freedom. Or perhaps, going by that trope, she could summon the children of country leaders and then Red Skull would demand they surrender or the children would suffer. Frigga holds the title AllMother, so that should work.

Yes, Frigga will work nicely.

With a slightly hesitant flourish, Red Skull cast the summoning spell, and waited for his hostage to appear.

A moment later, Red Skull blinked slowly. He suddenly felt inexplicably... chastened. Like a child caught doing something he really shouldn't have been doing. The feeling welled up in his chest, and he lowered his gaze to the floor, suddenly too ashamed to look up even though he was alone.

Moving slowly, dragging his feet as he went, he made his way to his cot. For some reason, he didn't eat dinner that day.

 

 **Attempt Five – Sif**  
The Lady Sif. True, another woman, but this one was the Goddess of War. She will definitely come in handy. She'll probably be just as good a fighter as the men, but still be subject to the follies of womanhood, such as a soft heart towards children – he could keep a few to keep her in check. True, Frigga hadn't been the walk in the park he'd been expecting, but she had still refused his summoning with no sustained trauma on his part, physical or psychological. The Lady Sif would surely cause no horrifying problems as well, being a woman. Or at least that's what he hoped.

Red Skull took a deep breath and uttered the incantation. Once he finished, he took several quick steps back (for safety reasons) and waited for what would happen next.

He jumped nearly out of his skin when a loud noise suddenly sounded in the empty room. The noise came again and Red Skull recognized it as a clang of weapons during combat. The sound grew – the sharp clang of swords, the heavy crack of maces, the dull thud of shields – Red Skull recognized each weapon that he heard, though he had not even seen most of them in his life. The noise reverberated from the stone walls around him and soon it seemed to be coming from all around. As if the air itself was fighting. Each loud clash left a ringing in his ears, and Red Skull covered them with his hands, clutching at his skin.

The wall around him shimmered once and started to seep some kind of dark liquid. It dripped and slid down from the stone, almost like a dark waterfall. The liquid fell to the ground and spread in all directions, seeping into every corner as the weapons continued to sound.

It came towards him like a shallow lake, already too big to still be called a puddle. The liquid sloshed around his boots, and only then did Red Skull realize what the liquid was.

Blood. Blood of the enemy.

Once that thought rang in the Red Skull's mind, the blood surged upwards. It was no longer a shallow lake, it was a wild river and the waves slammed into Red Skull's body with the force of an army. The blood level rose rapidly. It reached his waist, his chest, his neck. It surged against his face, into his mouth and down to his lungs. He coughed and retched and tried to run, but the waves raging around his body made it impossible. His feet slipped and he fell into the turbulent blood, his body disappearing under the crimson surface as the weapons still clashed on.

He was going to drown.

He kicked his legs frantically, trying to get back to his feet before he died. The sharp waves pushed him every which way, but he eventually managed to feel the floor underneath him. He kicked his feet against it and managed to stand straight, his head breaking the surface.

He gulped in precious air and tried to locate the door, desperate for escape. He was blinded by the blood and deafened by the weapons, but he eventually managed to see the dark rectangle of wood, half swallowed by the blood.

He swam towards it frantically, fighting desperately against each wave and current, because at that moment his life truly did depend on it. He nearly slammed into the wood and grabbed at the doorknob, pushing it down.

The door slammed open, splintering against the wall on the other side. The torrent of blood threw Red Skull into the corridor and flushed down the new space, the levels dropping.

Red Skull scrambled to his feet and escaped to a safer location (preferably in a tall tower with many open windows).

No more goddesses. Not a single one more. He was not even going to risk Freya the golden apple gardener.

*~*

Red Skull stared at the summoning circle, breathing hard through his nose. It was untouched. All around blood still dripped, but the circle was not damaged in any way. The lines still lay, the runes still held their shape, the symbols were unchanged. Magic still held it together.

Magic he knew how to use.

Red Skull was not known for giving up. He would not quit until he had what he'd set out to achieve. He would summon a Norse god and bind them with magic to be his obedient slave. He would not give in. He would be victorious in the end. 

Unless it killed him, but Red Skull would cross that line when he came to it.

 

 **+1 Successful Attempt – Loki**  
Loki was his next choice. God of Lies. God of Chaos. God of Fire. 

Red Skull had initially deemed him too risky, as considering his godly 'elements' Loki might be dangerously unstable. Now, Red Skull had no other choice. It would be either Loki or some lesser god with half the abilities.

Loki it had to be.

Red Skull cast the summoning spell and curled his back slightly to steel himself. He checked the straps of his helmet and protective vest, then glanced to the side to make sure the door was still open, just to be sure. But the minutes ticked by and there was nothing. Nothing happened. No animals, no atmospheric discharges, no light distortions, no sounds, no blood or other unexplained feelings nor sensations. All was still and silent around him.

Which is probably why Red Skull screamed (though he'd deny it later on) when something tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around, waving his arms wildly as he scrambled backwards.

But the being that stood in front of him didn't look threatening at all.

Young, somewhat tall and smiling pleasantly. “Greetings.” He said, voice clear and calm. “I am Loki, of Asgard. You have summoned me, thus here I am.”

Red Skull blinked at him, then let out a startled laugh. “It worked. You're here.”

“I am indeed.” Loki looked around himself curiously. “Where is here? I did not check before the spell pulled me through.”

“You are here. You are with me.” He walked up to the God and grabbed his arms forcibly, grinning madly at this victory. “You will do as I command! You will be my greatest weapon yet!”

Loki's answering grin could only be described as shit-eating.

*~*  
/Three Days Later/

When Steve burst into Schmidt's hidden laboratory, he had expected many things. Guards, for one thing. Perhaps some horrid mutants floating in glass tubes. People being experiment on. Stuff like that.

What he did not expect was to find Schmidt nearly in tears. He also never would have guessed that the first thing Schmidt would do upon seeing him was to rush over and fall to his knees by Steve's side, clutching at his clothing like a terrified toddler. 

Schmidt kept mumbling something frantically while pressing his face into Steve's thigh. It mostly sounded like 'Take him away' and 'Make him stop', but it was hard to understand over the gross sobbing.

A giggle caught his attention, and the Captain lifted his shield, scanning the room for hidden threats. He spotted a man (young, early twenties by the looks of it), sitting cross-legged on one of Schmidt's large computers. He was dressed in some kind of green leather outfit and had black hair, skin pale. He didn't look like a person who'd been experiment on. He didn't look like someone who had any kind of military training. He certainly didn't look like a scientist, especially with that wide smile.

But he did feel like a threat.

“Who are you?” he demanded, voice like steel.

The stranger's grin melted into a pleasant smirk. “I am Loki. Greetings, valiant Captain America. Red Skull spoke much about you.”

Steve was skeptical about that. “Really.”

“Oh yes. Especially in the last hour, he kept screaming for you. Screaming and sobbing, it was quite unsettling.”

Steve glanced down at the trembling Red Skull. “What did you do to him?”

Loki shrugged carelessly. “Well, he kept trying to summon everybody, which is very annoying. Plus, I've been having a rather trying time lately, so when he tried to summon me, Mother and Father told me to go play with him for a bit. They thought it would help relax me.”

The Captain's eyebrows drew together in confusion (and a bit of dread). “What exactly did that... play entail?”

Loki grinned, his teeth sharp like a shark's. “That's for me to know and for him to seek professional help for.” Loki slid gracefully off the machine and dropped to the ground. “Now if you'll excuse me, I have more interesting things to attend to.” He bowed low with a flourish, his hand nearly brushing the ground.

Steve blinked and the stranger was gone. Literally disappeared.

The Captain looked down at Red Skull, still clinging to him desperately. “This is what happens when you play with things you shouldn't.” He said softly, and bundled Schmidt up in an emergency blanket and some handcuffs. He added a thick chain too, just to be sure.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a Kink Meme Prompt:  
> Crazy Nazis, On The List of Very Bad Ideas, Things *Not* to Do With the Cube  
> Red Skull, being a believer in actual Norse gods, tries to summon various Norse gods with the cube. After several failed attempts he eventually succeeds. Too bad for him he ends up with *Loki*. Give me:
> 
> 1\. Cube summoning hijinks: things exploding, chickens appearing out of thin air, and general reality warping magic-gone-bad things.
> 
> 2\. Various Norse gods he attempts to summon are not interesting in appearing and make this known in generally unpleasant ways. So say he tries to summon Thor, and lighting strikes nearby. Tries for Odin and ends up with a scene from The Birds (hundreds of crows just...staring at him). And so forth.
> 
> 3\. Loki just shows up to screw with him and be an ass in every possible way.
> 
> 4\. Steve ends up running into the aftermath of whatever the latest attempt was at summoning.


End file.
